BOYS LACROSSE: Ross powers Quincy past North Quincy

QUINCY – The boys lacrosse intra-city showdown Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Stadium turned into a tight defensive battle, with close checking and hard hitting. But Quincy High had just a little more firepower, and with Steve Ross’ four goals leading the way, the Presidents prevailed, 8-3.

Quincy (2-3) charged out to a 4-0 lead in the opening quarter, and extended it to 5-1 at the half. But North Quincy (3-4) rallied with two goals in the third quarter (by Pat Janeiro and Mike Finn) to pull the Raiders within 5-3 going into the final frame.

Quincy owned the final 12 minutes, however, working for three more goals and controlling the play for the majority of the time.

“We couldn’t finish when we had some good chances,” said NQ coach Mark Nutley. “Quincy High’s defense played well, but we some opportunities at their net and couldn’t put them away. For a spell, at the end of the second period and all through the third, we seemed to have momentum going. But then they put a couple in after that, and we couldn’t get it going again. We got enough good looks on the offensive end; we just couldn't finish.”

Quincy was coming off close losses to Plymouth South (3-2) and Pembroke (10-7).

“Our defense has stepped up over the past couple of games,” said Presidents coach Martin Bowes. “They have asserted themselves as leaders of this team, and now our offense feeds off of their play. Some of our best players are on the defensive end.

“This is a big rivalry game, obviously,” Bowes added, “and it’s always intense, but I liked the way we started off. When we’re playing like we were in that first period, with quick pass/quick pass/goal, our offense looks really good. When we can push the ball like that, as tonight demonstrated, we get a lot of looks at the net, and they produce quality shots.”

“Both teams got real good goaltending tonight,” said Nutley. “I think we saw good defense both ways tonight, in a really good, close game. Quincy played excellently in that first period, and we killed ourselves by getting into that 4-0 hole. But after that, we calmed down and got into the game we wanted.”

The Presidents edged their rivals thanks to Ross and his sharpshooting, while senior linemate Mitchell McGowan tallied a goal and three assists. Freshman Tom Pugsley scored twice.

“Steve Ross is our best shooter,” said Bowes. “When he’s playing well, we play well as a team, so we know how important he is to our offense. He scored several of those goals while on the run, and that’s an indication of all the time he’s spent developing his stick skills.”

“The core of our defense is (juniors) Brian O’Callaghan and Aidan Pugsley,” Bowes pointed out. “And with both of them, it’s a case of being steady on defense, and also dangerous in transition – they can carry the ball right down and score. That kind of double threat makes them very valuable, and both of them have stepped it up with their play this season.”

NQ doesn’t have quite the experience of the Quincy squad – only two senior regulars – but the Raiders aren’t using that as an excuse.

“We are a young team, no doubt,” said Nutley. “But at the same time, we don’t want to just think about the future; we want to start winning now.”